Criminal Injury Compensation Advice: How can I get legal help and assistance for claiming compensation for an attack on my son which happened whilst on holiday abroad?

My 13 year old son was attacked on holiday abroad by an adult with a pool cue. He suffered a fractured nose and a detached retina – we have hospital and police reports of the incident, but we do not know who the attacker was.

A: The best way to get criminal injury compensation advice for an incident which happened on holiday whilst abroad is to follow the following steps:

1. Contact the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority in Great Britain for advice about injuries abroad

Criminal Injury Compensation Advice

The GB Criminal Injury Compensation Authority can give you advice about making a claim abroad although it can not make the claim for you.

European Union countries should have a similar system to Great Britain and many other countries across the world have their own criminal injury scheme.

The CICA has a section which is designed to assist UK residents know what to do to make a criminal injury claim if an accident happened abroad, as it is appreciated that with out this assistance finding out how to claim would be very difficult.

The fact that you do not know who caused the incident is not relevant in the UK so long as you reported the matter to the police and a crime reference number was given – by analogy it is likely in other countries the system will be similar.

Click injury compensation to read my article explaining what to do if you have had a criminal injury abroad and how to contact the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority in Great Britain for advice on making a claim.

2. Check your holiday insurance for a personal injury and criminal injury compensation advice line and funding of legal costs

If you had holiday insurance it is worth contacting the help desk to see what criminal injury compensation advice you can receive – it maybe that you are insured for the legal cost in contacting an English speaking solicitor in the country where your accident happened to make a claim on your son’s behalf.

To contact an English speaking lawyer in the country where your accident happened you can use the link below to access the British Embassy website – choose the country where your accident happened and search for English speaking injury lawyers and you should be provided with the contact details your require.

Click criminal injury compensation advice to find an English speaking lawyer to give you criminal injury compensation advice about making a claim for criminal injuries abroad.